Initial oil-heating means for oil burners



May 11 1926. i 1,584,045 I I. E. SMITH INITIAL OIL HEATING MEANS FOR OIL BURNERS Filed 001;. 27, 1925 J2 J6\ I 4 /a INVENTOR 5122i Zia tit] Patented May 11, 192.

IRA. EDWARD SYMITH, 0F STOCKTON, CALIJFOBHTA.

INITIAL OIL-HEATWG MEANS FOR OIL B'Uhhl'EHS.

Application filed October at, ieae. Serial No. sense This invention relates to improvements in oil burners and particularly to a means for applying initial heat to the oil as delivered to the nozzle or burner plate, in order to enable such oil to be more readily ignited than is the case otherwise. This is desirable with the more or less heavy and non-volatile fuel oils which are used in connection with oil burners.

In all such burners as far as I am aware, such initial heating, if any, is had by means of a gas flame or the like. Either such gas must be lit every time it is wanted, which is inconvenient, or else a continuously lit pilot light must be provided, which is of course a continuous source of expense.

The principal object of my invention therefore is to provide for heating the oil by means of electricity in such a manner that the current is only consumed when it is wanted, so that the expense of operation is negligible.

The structure is extremely simple, is very inexpensive to manufacture and install and there are no parts to wear out or give trouble, so that there is no expense for upkeep.

A further object of the invention is to arrange the heating means so that it com- I pletely surrounds the burner member, and

provides a localized heat just whereit is wanted.

I particularly have in mind to apply this heating means in connection with a motor driven oil burner of the rotary burner plate type, such as is shown in my Patent Np. 1,519,247 dated October 21st 1924-, but it will be obvious from the following specification that its use and application is not limited to such type of burner.

- Tl'iese objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the "following specification and claims.

, In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severai views:

i is a sectional elevation of the burner casing showing the heating element mounted in connectionv therewith.

Fig. 2 is a similar view taken on the line 2'-2 of Fig. 1, showing the burner plate mounted inplace in the casing.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the assembly with the upper casing member removed.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the

burner itself comprises essentially a perforated and dish shaped late 1 which is mounted in connection wit a driven sleeve 2 havin a centrifugal fan 3 a certain distance beTow the plate. Also mounted in connection with the burner plate centrally thereof is a member 4 having a circumfen ential slit 5 to allow the oil to pass onto the plate, the oil passing up into said member through the sleeve 2 and being thrown centrifugally with the rotation of the plate.

This structure is substantiall the same as shown in my co-pending app ication for patent, Serial No. 24,147 filed April 18th, 1925, except as to the exact form and arrangement of the burner plate hereinafter described.

Surrounding the plate and fan and extending above and below these parts is the burner casing. This casing preferably comprises three members; 6 the lower one; 7 the central portion and 8 the upper member.v

The members 6 and 8 are of metal while the member 7 is of refractory material such as a good grade of porcelain, which is also a good electrical insulator.

The member 6 is substantially in the form of a flanged plate supporting the central member 7, the contacting faces of said members having cooperating lugs and sockets as indicated at 9 to prevent rotative movement therebetween.

The member 7 is formed as a heavy cylindrical ring, with its upper surface having an upward slope from its inner edge. This member supports the upper member 8, there being cooperating lugs and sockets in the contacting faces of these members as indicated at-lO to prevent relative rotative movement therebetween.

The member 8 is in the form of a bowl with its bottom partly cut away, the remainder of the bottom portion A resting on top of-the member 7 and having the same slope. The side of the member 8 extends upwardly for some distance and is disposed a short distance outwardly of the plane of the outer edge of the member 7.

My initial heating means is in the form of an annular band 11 which is $11 ported by the member 7. This band is oatably mounted in the casing so that it can freely expand and contract with changing temperalimsob

- these portions of the band the band through the casing member 7 ,for-

some distance as to be of direct heat.

These terminals. are preferably in the form of radial rods which form additional supporting means for the band and project through oversize orifices 14 in the easing member 7. The band is so located that its upper edge is a short distance below the adjalcesnt upper edge of the portion A of the well out of the zone The band is preferably made of nichrome steel, this being a metal having high electrical resistance and of a nature to resist deterioration when subjected to high temperature.

In order to. provide for the proper heating of the band when a current is passed therethrough, the band is cut away from its under edge between the difl'erent lugs and terminal members as shown in Fig. 1. This forms restricted ar'eas in the length of the band which provide increased resistance to a current passed oversuch areas, so that become red hot, while those adjacent the terminals and lugs remainrelatively cool.

The outer periphery of the plate 1 for the major portion of its length is concentric with the band, and is located so as to be slightly above the upper edge of the band, as shown in the left hand side of Fig. 2. The plate being dish shaped, any oil thereon and thrown centrifugally with the rotation of the plate is therefore delivered onto the member 8 rather than against the band.

Disposed about the rim of the plate at suitably spaced intervals and formed by depressing the metal is a plurality of small discharge troughs 15, which project out wardly of therim somewhat as shown in Fig. 3, and terminate somewhat lower than the same as shown in Fig. 2, or so as to be practically in line with the heaterband. Therefore with the rotation of the plate any oil in these troughs will be thrown directly against the band. The result is that while the majority of the oil clears the tlme a zone all around band, so that an undue cooling efi'ect on said band is avoided and the same may retain its red heat, suflicient oil actually engages the band to cause such oil to be instantly ignited by the heated band. At the same the burner plate not actually enthe air passing is heated, so that the oil gaged with the band, and

heat. Therefore the entire up around the band and through the plate with the action of the fan is subjected to fuel mixture is heated, placing it in condition to be readily ignited, either by the oil ignited by contact with the band, or by additional and quicker operating i ition means.

The band being spaced from the casing element 7, not only enables the band and casing member to expand or contract without' afl'ecting each other, but enables the draft ofair to pass upwardly on both sides of the band, so that the entire area of the band is available for air and oil heating purposes.

The contacting faces of the members 7 and 8 having a downward and inward slant, there is no possibility of any oil flowing down the surface A subsequently flowing between the members 7' and 8.

The circuit to the band 11 may be of a very simple nature, consisting essentially of leads 16 connected to the terminals 14 and extending to the ower wires 17 with a switch 18 interpose in the leads.

If the heating means is incorporated in my particular form of oil burner however the switch would preferably be included as a part of the automatically operating furnace thermostat switch as shown in my copending application for patent, Serial No. 32901, filed May 26th, 1925.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I. have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to 2. An mitial oil heating means for oil onto which the oil to be burned is delivered, an electric heating element surrounding and facing said member in spaced relation thereto, and arranged in the form of an annular band disposed adjacent the plane of the outer edge of the burner member and having its inner periphery exposed to the oil.

3. An initial oil heating means for oil burners comprising, with a burner member onto which the oil to be burned isdelivered,

burners comprising, with a burner member and an insulation casing surrounding the member in spaced relation thereto; an electric heating element mounted in said casing to provide heat about said member in the plane of the outer edge of the burner member.

4. An initial oil heating means for oil burners comprising, with a burner member onto which the oil to be burned is delivered, and an insulation casing surrounding the member in spaced relation thereto; an annular electric heating element in the form of a band, mounted adjacent the inner face of the casing and disposed adjacent the lane of the outer edge of the burner memer. 5. An initial oil heating means for oil burners comprising, with a burner member onto which the oil to be burned is delivered, and an insulation casing surrounding the member in spaced relation thereto; an annular electric heating element in the form of a band, disposed inwardly of the casing and located adjacent the plane of the outer edge of the burner member, and means supporting the band from the casing in a manner to allow of free expansion and contraction of the band.

6. An initial oil heating means for oil burners comprising, with a burner member onto which the oil to be burned is delivered,

and an insulation casing surrounding the member in spaced relation thereto, an annular electric heating element in the form of a band, disposed inwardly of the casing and located adjacent the plane of the outer edge of the burner member, and pins projecting radially from the band and seating in relatively large sockets in the casing.

7. An initial oil heating means for oil burners comprising, with a burner member ontowhich the oil to be burned is delivered, and an insulation casing surrounding the member in spaced relation thereto; an annular electric heating element in the form of a band, disposed inwardly of the casing in s aced relation thereto and supported there y, the upper edge of said band being adjacent the plane of the rim of the burner member.

,8. An oil burner structure including a casing, a burner plate onto which oil to be burned is delivered turnably mounted within the casing in spaced relation thereto and located intermediate the top and bottom of the casing, a heating band mounted in the casing in spaced relation to the plate and located adjacent the plane of the rim of the plate, and means incorporated with the plate whereby when with the rotation of said plate the oil is thrown centrifu ally therefrom a small portion only of sue oil will be thrown against the band.

9. An oil burner structure including a casing, a burner plate onto which oil to be burned is delivered turnably mounted within the casing in spaced relation thereto and located intermediate the top and bottom of the casing, a heating band mounted in the casing in spaced relation to the late and located adjacent the plane of the rim of the plate, said rim being disposed above the upper edge of the band, and troughs depressed from'said rim at spaced intervals; the outer edges of the, troughs being disposed to cause oil thrown therefrom to contact with the band.

10. An initial oil heating means for oil burners comprising, with a burner member onto which the oil tobe burned is delivcred, an insulation casingsurrounding the member in spaced relation thereto; an annular electric heating element in the formof a band, whose ends are separated, disposed within the casing with its upper edge adjacent the plane of the rim of the burner member, and terminal members pro'ecting through the casing from the band a jacent the ends thereof; the band being reduced in width beyond the terminals, whereby said reduced portions will become more highly heated than the remainder when a current is assed through the band.

11 testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

IRA EDWARD SMITH. 

